Student Lecture Recording Guidelines using Otter.AI

TU Dublin’s Disability Support Service (DSS) is committed to providing a range of support services in line with best practice for students registered with the DSS.

To facilitate clarity and ease of understanding, the purpose of this document is to outline the procedure for students who, due to their disability / medical condition, are unable to take lecture notes and therefore need to record lectures using Otter.AI instead.

General Guidelines:

The primary purpose of recording lectures using Otter.AI is to support students who are registered with the DSS and have been identified as needing to record lectures for reasons relating to their disability / medical condition.
Students are permitted to record lectures for personal study purposes, subject to specific guidelines and regulations laid out in the “GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR RECORDING OF LECTURES"
Students should note that there may be certain lectures where the recording of material is not appropriate. In this instance, an alternative will be found in discussion with the student/s, lecturer and DSS.

Roles and Responsibilities

A designated member of the DSS (e.g Learning Support Officer or Occupational Therapist) is responsible for meeting with the student seeking to record their lectures. If approved, a meeting will then be arranged with the Assistive Technology Officer to discuss recording lectures using Otter.AI. This will be provided by the DSS.

Recording Procedure:

Prior to recording any lecture, students must inform the lecturer and obtain explicit consent.
Consent can be given verbally, through email, or through a designated online form, as determined by the Disability Support Service.
Consent must be obtained before lecture recordings can occur.

Recording Content Focus:

Recordings should focus solely on capturing the educational content presented during the lecture.
Private discussions, personal conversations, and non-academic interactions should not be recorded.
The lecturer’s intellectual property rights must be respected, and unauthorized distribution of recorded material is prohibited.

Distribution and Sharing:

Recorded content is for the student’s personal use only and should not be shared or distributed in any way.
Uploading recorded material to public platforms, social media, or any other public domains is strictly prohibited.

Privacy and Respect:

Students must respect the privacy of both lecturers and fellow classmates.
Inadvertent recording of private information or non-academic interactions should not be shared or disseminated and should be deleted.
Recorded content should not be used to misrepresent the lecturer’s words or the context of the lecture.

Classroom Conduct:

While recording, students are expected to maintain a respectful and non-disruptive presence within the classroom.
Recording should not interfere with classroom dynamics or hinder the learning experience of others.

Academic Integrity and Review:

Recorded material should not be used for purposes that violate academic integrity, such as sharing with individuals who are not registered in the course.
The university reserves the right to review recorded material in cases of academic integrity concerns or classroom misconduct.
Lecturers maintain the authority to modify or revoke recording privileges if guidelines are violated.

Responsibility and Accountability:

Students are responsible for understanding and adhering to copyright regulations related to recorded material and GDPR obligations laid out the Data Protection pages of the TU Dublin website
Any alteration or manipulation of recorded content that misrepresents the original lecture is prohibited.

Termination and Removal:

Should it become apparent that the above-mentioned responsibilities of the student have not been met, or permission not sought from a lecturer to record, the support will be reviewed and possibly withdrawn.
Recorded content will be deleted at the end of the academic year, ensuring that access is limited to the relevant course timeline.

Conclusion:

The DSS supports students whose documented disabilities note an impact on their ability to take notes during class and as a result, need to record lectures. This service is provided as a necessary, reasonable academic accommodation and is not considered a substitute for a student’s full participation in each class/lecture.

The student lecture recording guidelines are designed to promote the effective use of recorded lectures for personal learning while respecting the rights, privacy, and integrity of both lecturers and fellow students. These guidelines underscore the importance of responsible conduct and ethical use of recorded material within the academic environment.